According to the Daily Express, Liverpool are reportedly showing a “serious interest” in potentially luring teenage Arsenal prodigy Bukayo Saka to Anfield, with no significant breakthrough in contract negotiations between him and the London club.
Manchester United (Daily Express) and Borussia Dortmund (football.london) are also reportedly interested in signing the 18-year-old, although football.london added that the Gunners are optimistic about securing a new deal for the youngster.
Why might Liverpool be interested in Bukayo Saka?
The teenager has featured regularly Arsenal this season, with his 29 first team appearances including 12 Premier League starts and six in the Europa League. Having begun the campaign as a left-sided midfielder during Unai Emery’s time in charge, current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has mainly used him as a left-back due to the lengthy injury absence of Kieran Tierney.
Saka has proven to be a very effective outlet down the left flank for the Londoners, with three goals and nine assists to his name this season. Four of those assists have come as a left-back, with one against Liverpool as a left midfielder during the high-scoring Carabao Cup tie at Anfield in October. [via TransferMarkt]
From a defensive point of view, he has posted an impressive average of 1.8 successful tackles per game. However, unsurprisingly given his origins as a midfield player, he is perhaps more effective in an attacking sense, averaging 0.7 key passes and 1.4 successful dribbles per game, with a passing success rate of 81.6%. [via WhoScored]
Would Saka be a first team contender if he comes to Liverpool?
Although Saka has had little difficulty getting first team minutes at Arsenal, he may need to be more patient with his hopes of game-time for Liverpool if he does make the move to Anfield. The left-back position in which he has played recently is occupied on Merseyside by Andrew Robertson, who with seven assists this season is a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s setup. The Gunners youngster can also be deployed on the left of midfield, but the 4-2-3-1 in which he has largely operated at the Emirates Stadium differs from Klopp’s preferred 4-3-3.
Saka has a slightly better tackling average than Robertson, who wins 1.7 per game, but he is still behind the Scot in terms of attacking prowess. The Liverpool man executes 1.5 key passes and 67.6 passes per game, with the Arsenal teenager averaging just 28.1 for the latter metric. Robertson also has a better passing success rate of 83.4%.
The likelihood is that Saka would initially find it very difficult to displace Robertson in Liverpool’s first team. However, with no natural left-back cover for the 26-year-old, the teenager’s smooth adaptation to the role could make him a more than useful backup to the Scot at Anfield. That, of course, is if the Reds could persuade him to accept a squad role on Merseyside rather than a firmer chance of regular action at Arsenal.
Do you think Liverpool should try and sign Saka in the summer? Is it likely that he would go to Anfield if he would be playing second fiddle to Robertson? Share your views in the comments section below!
